Information for recreational divers who are paying for a dive guide or instructor

• If divers are paying for training from a diving instructor or there is a dive guide employed then the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 will apply.
• There should be a 'Diving Project Plan'. The instructor or guide should brief the divers on its content.
• This plan should cover team size and the duties that some of the team will carry out. There should be a minimum of three people nominated in the plan:
  • the 'supervisor' (usually the instructor/guide)
  • a 'person on the surface' who can summon help if required
  • a diver nominated as the 'safety or rescue diver' qualified to render assistance to the supervisor if necessary. A novice diver will not usually be able to carry out this role
• The pre-dive brief should cover the planned duration and the criteria for ending the dive and returning to the surface (usually time and/or cylinder pressure). The brief should also cover dive abort procedures, if the expected water conditions are not acceptable, and lost diver procedures.
• The plan should detail the arrangements for the provision of first aid and oxygen administration.
• The 'staff divers' should all have an in date HSE 'certificate of medical fitness to dive'.
• Equipment servicing records should be available.
• If using a dry suit, adequate confined water training should be completed before open water use.

Further information can be obtained from HSE's diving website.